For some reason, at this very moment, He Qingshi felt a sense of panic welling up inside him. It felt like being caught red-handed, a sense of embarrassment closing in on him.
Just my luck!
He straightened up in his seat, his tone guilty. “What a coincidence, Doctor Huo.”
Huo Chuxue stood there directly, her voice cold. “It is quite a coincidence, running into you, Mr. He, while picking up a delivery.”
He Qingshi: “…”
“Doctor Huo hasn’t had dinner yet? It’s so late.” His gaze shifted to the delivery bag, changing the subject.
“This is a midnight snack.”
Huo Chuxue stopped talking to him and went straight to find the nurse on duty in the infusion room.
Not long after, the little nurse came to start He Qingshi’s IV.
While the little nurse was setting up the IV, Huo Chuxue’s phone rang. It was Lin Yao calling.
As soon as the call connected, Lin Yao fired off questions. “Doctor Huo, did you get your delivery?”
Huo Chuxue replied in a low voice, “Got it. I’ll be right back.”
After hanging up, she looked at He Qingshi. “You get your infusion first. I’m leaving. I’m on duty tonight.”
He Qingshi nodded weakly. “Doctor Huo, please go ahead with your work.”
He Qingshi watched as the hem of Huo Chuxue’s white coat turned the corner of the hallway and disappeared.
Gui Shu sat down beside him, his face showing worry as he gestured, ‘Doctor Huo seems unhappy.’
He Qingshi gave an ‘Mhm’ but didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t stupid; he could clearly sense that Huo Chuxue had been angry just now. But what was she angry about? That he was sick and didn’t tell her?
But what standing did he have to tell her? In what capacity?
As a friend?
He was the last to pay, but the first to get the infusion. It was obvious Huo Chuxue had privately put in a word for him with the nurse on duty. He didn’t want to owe her a favor, but after going around in circles, he still ended up indebted to her.
Gui Shu continued gesturing, ‘Your medical fee was also advanced by Doctor Huo.’
He lifted his eyes, his eyelids feeling incredibly heavy. “Why didn’t you pay her back?”
Gui Shu: ‘Doctor Huo said she’d get it from you.’
He Qingshi: “…”
He Qingshi nodded, indicating he understood. “I’ll pay her back next time.”
With his left hand receiving the IV, he used his right hand to pull out his phone and sent a text to Huo Chuxue.
He Qingshi: “Thank you.”
This text went unanswered; the person on the other end didn’t reply for a long time.
Staring at this text message, Huo Chuxue felt an inexplicable sense of dejection.
This man was always so polite and proper, courteous yet distant, always keeping a clear line between them. She thought that through their recent interactions, they were at least friends by now. Little did she know, they were nothing at all. Otherwise, between friends, he wouldn’t act like this.
At this moment, she had to realize that there was actually an insurmountable chasm between them.
Although she very much wanted to cross it, to walk over to his side, as long as he didn’t reach out a hand to pull her across, everything was in vain.
She thought she had enough patience, but now it seemed she had been too hasty.
Lin Yao had ordered skewers, both meat and vegetables, the aroma of cumin wafting through the air.
Huo Chuxue chewed her food, finding it tasteless, unable to discern any flavor at all.
Lin Yao devoured her food with gusto. Seeing Huo Chuxue’s worried expression, she couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Huo, what’s wrong? How come you’ve been so absent-minded since coming back from getting the delivery?”
Huo Chuxue quickly touched her face and smiled. “I’m fine.”
She had just asked the nurse on duty in the infusion room; He Qingshi had three bottles of medicine to infuse.
She calculated the time and, in the end, still couldn’t rest easy. After handling her immediate tasks and confirming there were no issues, she asked a colleague to keep an eye on things and went alone to the infusion room.
At ten in the evening, the vast infusion room was silent and deserted.
He Qingshi was leaning back in his chair, his head tilted to the side, asleep. His eyes were slightly closed, his face looking somewhat haggard.
His sleeping posture was exactly the same as that day in the villa’s backyard, only now it seemed somewhat sickly, lacking vitality.
He seemed to be sleeping poorly, his brows tightly furrowed as if haunted by nightmares.
His forehead wasn’t broad, creased into a ‘川’ character. Physiognomy said people like this bore heavy worries, harbored pent-up sorrows, and were not bright or cheerful people.
The moment she saw his face, all the anger in Huo Chuxue’s stomach instantly vanished without a trace.
Her mother had said that liking someone always has that one moment that strikes your heart. Just like now, seeing his sleeping face, her heart was suddenly filled with an inexplicable tenderness.
Why be angry? This was always going to be a protracted battle. He stood aloof, letting her fight alone, battling fiercely. She was destined to pay more, to feel helpless, to get hurt, to bleed.
What she had to do, from beginning to end, was to make him walk out of his own maze and then enter her game.
She herself was the one setting the game; how could she blame the pawn for not understanding romance?
The reason she was angry, in the end, was because she had been too hasty.
She let out a long sigh, expelling a breath of turbid qi. This protracted battle still had to be fought slowly!
The transparent liquid in the IV tube dripped down slowly, drop by drop. The medicine in the bottle was almost finished.
She quietly walked forward to take a look. This was the last bottle.
She raised her arm and turned the IV regulator all the way down. The fluid stopped flowing.
Perhaps her movement wasn’t gentle enough, as it disturbed He Qingshi. He woke up abruptly.
He didn’t wake naturally but jolted awake suddenly. The moment he awoke, his pupils dilated, his expression sorrowful, as if he had just had a nightmare.
“Did you have a nightmare?” She stood by his side, asking softly.
He Qingshi was pulled back to reality by Huo Chuxue’s voice. Just awakened from a nightmare, he was somewhat dazed. Huo Chuxue stood by his side, looking at him with calm eyes.
“Doctor Huo?” He clearly hadn’t expected her to be in the infusion room, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
“Where’s Gui Shu?” She looked around but didn’t see him.
“Not sure. He was just here.”
Huo Chuxue leaned down. Her smooth, long hair cascaded down, a few strands brushing against his cheek, tickling him, sending a tingling sensation.
This movement was sudden. Unprepared, he instinctively shrank back.
She couldn’t help but frown, directly pressing down on the back of his hand with a commanding tone. “Don’t move. I’m taking the needle out!”
He Qingshi’s spine stiffened, and he immediately didn’t dare to move.
They were close. The faint, elusive fragrance on her body tangled with his breath. It was the unique, delicate scent of a girl. His thoughts seemed to start wandering.
She carefully removed the needle for him. Her movements were gentle, her fingertips slightly cool as they brushed over the skin on the back of his hand. It felt like an electric current, numb and tingling. His heart couldn’t help but give a fierce tremble.
After removing the needle, she handed the empty bottle and the IV set together to the nurse on duty for disposal.
“Thank you.” He Qingshi was dazed for a good while before uttering these words dryly.
“Don’t say those two words to me anymore. I’ve heard them too much.” Huo Chuxue looked at him calmly, enunciating each word. “He Qingshi, I thought we were already friends, weren’t we?”
Huo Chuxue’s words kept He Qingshi thinking all night.
The next day, he went to teach while still sick.
Being ill, he felt very weak, not even willing to take attendance.
He pulled the roll call sheet from his computer bag. “The study committee member, please take attendance.”
Unexpectedly, he heard a female student in the first row speak up loudly. “Teacher He, Jiang Nuan has asked for leave.”
He frowned, his voice hoarse. “Asked for leave again?”
The girl said, “She’s not feeling well.”
He Qingshi said in a low voice, “Have her bring me the leave slip next class. The class monitor will take attendance.”
The lecture proceeded slowly; a single class seemed to become exceptionally long.
He ate lunch at school, dozed off in a daze in his office that afternoon, then went to the hospital for an infusion. The doctor had prescribed medicine for three days; he needed infusions for three consecutive days.
It seemed that ever since meeting Huo Chuxue, he had started frequenting the hospital. And each time, it just happened to be at First Hospital, where he always ran into her. How strange!
Once May arrived, the weather in Qingling began to hint at heat. Although a light rain had just fallen, the air still retained a noticeable sultriness. These past two days were overcast, the sky gloomy, which further affected one’s mood, making him feel irritable.
He Qingshi wore only a thin shirt, but it didn’t feel cool; instead, he felt unbearably hot. He slightly lowered the car window, leaving a crack. The slight cool breeze from outside drifted in, and only then did he feel somewhat more comfortable.
The car sped along the quiet, tree-lined road. On the left, against a white wall, trumpet creepers were in full bloom, vines climbing rampantly, the branches full of vitality.
His phone, placed in the corner, vibrated with a buzz. A new message had come in.
He freed one hand to open it, only to find it was a consumption notification from 10086.
From yesterday until now, his only contact with Huo Chuxue was that Alipay transfer message. Huo Chuxue’s Alipay was linked to her phone number. Following her number, he found her Alipay account and transferred the medical fee to her.
But there was no reply from her. He didn’t know if she had received it or not.
In truth, their contact wasn’t extensive. They had met many times, but private communication was minimal.
But this time, he sensitively felt that something seemed different.
By the time the infusion finished, it was nearly evening. The sky was half-bright, half-dark, the light dim and boundless. In the hazy light and shadows, the distant high-rises instantly transformed into floating silhouettes, faintly appearing before one’s eyes.
He walked quickly out of the emergency hall to the parking lot to get his car.
To get from the emergency building to the parking lot, one had to pass through a small garden. At this hour, many patients were strolling in the garden. Medical staff occasionally hurried through as well.
Behind the garden was the obstetrics inpatient department. Some pregnant women were taking slow walks accompanied by family members. Relatives chatted and laughed, intimately close.
It was truly a scene of human joy!
To the right of the garden was a row of benches where some people sat chatting.
Amidst the colorful clothes, a spot of pure white abruptly burst into his vision.
He slightly raised his eyes and saw Huo Chuxue sitting alone desolately, lost in thought.
He quietly walked forward and spoke. “Doctor Huo?”
He called three times in a row before Huo Chuxue suddenly snapped back to awareness.
Looking up, her clear eyes were clouded with a heavy layer of mist.